Last One Standing
by Porpora
Summary: She knew they were coming. They had been planning to all along. But when they do, she is left alone... something quite unexpected indeed.
1. Part 1

It was a small town she lived in. A few houses, a park. Not much more than that. But a small town to a human is a world of adventure to a cat.  
She'd never had a home. Actually, that's a bit incorrect. No, it was more like she had many homes. She was a nameless wanderer, going from home to home in hopes of a petting or a scrap of food. She could hunt for herself, of course, but why hunt when you can get food handed to you?  
She was nameless, until she was given a name. It soon caught on, and everyone in the town called her that.  
Kimi.  
She was not a very attractive cat. Gray, amber eyes, on the skinny side. There were some pretty markings around her eyes, but that was it. Her sweet demeanor was what earned her attention more than anything.  
There were lots of other cats. Most were hostile. A few were good-natured and friendly toward Kimi, though all bets were off if there was food involved.  
One of the cats living around the same area as Kimi had no name. This is because she had no person. She went around begging for food like all the others, but she almost never earned it. This didn't really surprise Kimi; the cat _was_ a bit strange.  
But, Kimi never looked down on her. Partly because she was just a nice cat and tried to look at the positive side of things, but mostly because that cat was the first one who _knew_.  
Cats, among other animals, have an uncanny ability to just sense things. For some, it was much stronger than others. Glass-Eye (that was the nickname the cat had earned, or at least the equivalent of it in the cat language) was one of those whose sixth sense was very powerful. It could do ordinary things like predict the weather, or find the best place for food. But, of course, this was still pretty ordinary as far as cats go, no matter what you might think. It was the one thing that no other cat could see coming that earned Glass-Eye a bit of respect.  
Kimi, being the good-natured cat she was, had befriended Glass-Eye. It was a good thing to be friends with someone who could find food, let me tell you. During the time that the two hunted together, they ate well.  
Glass-Eye was not an old cat. She was actually quite young, just a little bit older than Kimi. But her matted fur and the wild look in her eyes gave her the appearance of a cat on her last life.  
Glass-Eye had very thick fur that had probably once been white. It was now varying shades of gray. Her eyes were green, but one was darker than the other. The lighter eye was very pale, almost transparent. That was where her name had come from.  
Kimi was curled up inside an old, slightly damp box. It smelled of mildew, which made Kimi wrinkle her nose. But there wasn't anywhere better for shelter at this point; all the others were taken.  
With barely a sound, Glass-Eye entered the box. She was carrying a hunk of meat, which had been found somewhere. Glass-Eye looked at Kimi and saw the delight in her eyes. Kimi's tail quivered as the two began to eat.  
Outside, another cat stared. His name was Catcher, and he was small and orange. Catcher wanted very badly to go into the box and share the food, but he knew the two she-cats wouldn't let him. It took a lot to get to the point of sharing food, and he knew this. Still, he couldn't help but stare with jealousy at the two cats' obvious friendship.  
Catcher had heard the stories all the cats told about Glass-Eye. Horrible stories, most of them revolving around the fact that she was really a half-truck, half-coyote demon. As the young cat watched the two others eat, he began to hatch a plan: one that would earn him friendship (and food rights) with Kimi, as well as rid the streets of Glass-Eye.  
Kimi and her friend, of course, had no knowledge of this.  
After they had eaten, the two cats sat and groomed, as is the custom. While Kimi was right in the middle of washing her ears, however, something strange occurred.  
It was Glass-Eye. Strange things happened involving her all the time, of course, but Kimi could tell right away that this was different. Glass Eye stopped right in her tracks and froze like a deer in headlights. Her pupils became slits as her eyes widened. Her ears swiveled wildly back and forth.  
Kimi sat up and watched her, hackles slightly on end.  
This continued for a while, but finally the ears stopped moving. The eyes returned to normal. Glass-Eye's tail twitched, and Kimi relaxed slightly.  
"Glass-Eye, what was that? Did some human get a new dog? Is there a kit somewhere in trouble?"  
Glass-Eye shook her head, and there was alarm in her eyes.  
"No, no... Much worse than that."  
Kimi leaned forward, concern in her eyes.  
"They're coming... I can hear them..."  
Glass-Eye closed her eyes and her ears moved some more. Kimi listened, but heard nothing out of the ordinary. "Hear what?" she asked.  
Glass-Eye's green eyes opened wide. Her ears flattened against her head. "I can hear them... They've been planning this, yes... I can hear them, and they're on their way!"  
Glass-Eye's fur bristled in fear, and she dug her claws into the cardboard they were sitting on. "I can hear them..."  
Kimi put her ears back. Her hackles were beginning to raise now, and she could feel her heart pounding. Whatever this was... It was bad.


	2. Part 2

Kimi, like any good friend, said "I'll be right back" and returned moments later with a wet clump of moss. She set it down by Glass-Eye's slightly trembling paws.  
Glass-Eye shook her head stubbornly. "No, I don't need water... There's nothing we can do..." Her eyes widened. "There's nothing _anyone_ can do..."  
Kimi pushed her head against her friend's, concerned.  
Outside, it had begun to rain. Lightly, but enough to make the already-wet streets muddy and the cats hide in whatever shelter they could find. One cat, however remained out.  
It was Catcher, and he had seen it all.

Kimi raised her head from the spot from where she was laying in the corner. Neither of them could sleep, and both of them knew it.  
Glass-Eye was in the opposite corner, surrounded by moss, feathers, scraps of fabric, and other soft things Kimi could find. Nothing seemed to help. She was sitting with her head between her paws, eyes wide, ears flattened.  
Kimi had no idea what was even coming, but she was a very calm cat. She knew that Glass-Eye would tell her if she could.  
But right now, all Kimi wanted to do was sleep. Too bad it was proving impossible.  
Outside, yellow eyes glowed, which Kimi could plainly see from inside the box. Cat eyes, which held more intelligence than an opossum's or a raccoon's.  
"Who's there?" she called.  
It was Catcher, of course. An orange blur streaked past Kimi, leaping onto Glass-Eye with claws extended. Kimi bristled and attacked the intruder with a yowl. Catcher was a small cat, and he was easily defeated. After the skirmish, Kimi hissed, recognizing the intruder, and he left with his tail between his legs.  
Glass-Eye had somehow managed not to get hurt, and she was still in the same pose as before, looking as if nothing had even happened. Now Kimi was really starting to get concerned.  
"Glass-Eye... Is there anything I could do?"  
She knew the answer, but she had to ask something, just to let Glass-Eye know she even cared.  
But, the response was as she predicted.  
Nothing.

Catcher sulked. His plans had fallen through, and though that was not unusual, he was an irritable cat in general. Still, with such an ill-thought out plan, it shouldn't have surprised him.  
And it didn't. Not really. But Catcher didn't like to admit things like that.  
The rain had grown stronger, and thunder boomed in the distance. Kimi curled up into a ball in a far corner from the entrance to the box, trying to stay as far away as she possibly could from the frigid rain that streaked through. Darker specks littered the box's floor, and the flap above the entrance sagged under the weight of the water.  
Glass-Eye, who was nearer to the entrance than Kimi, was soaking wet by the time Kimi looked up. Lightning flashed, illuminating the soggy box and its two feline inhabitants. Though the flap had now closed over the entry from the weight, the bottom half was still open, which seemed to let in more rain than ever before.  
But outside, Catcher was alone. There was no shelter, and he was blind from both panic and the rain. He raced around wildly, more scared than he had ever been.  
Kimi flexed her claws on the damp cardboard. This box provided good shelter from a light drizzle, but in a storm like this, it would surely become useless after a while...  
Just with that thought, the top of the box collapsed. Kimi streaked outside, into the heavy rain. She looked around in a panic. Where was Glass-Eye? She couldn't still be in the box...  
But Kimi knew that she was. After all, she hadn't moved from her spot all day...  
Kimi took a deep breath and darted back into the soaking box. Chilly water dripped down on her from above, and she shivered. Glass-Eye was still in the exact same position, except now her fur was drenched.  
Kimi stood, not knowing what she could do... Glass-Eye was much too big for her to carry, but she _needed_ to get out of here. Soon, she knew the box would collapse completely, and in the morning, it would only be a tannish pile of mush.  
Kimi remained in her spot. The wind had begun howling around her, and rain was heavy on the roof. It drooped down onto the skinny cat's back. She crouched down, ears flat. There was still no reaction from Glass-Eye.  
The box collapsed, and the water it had been holding flooded out.  
Kimi didn't see that. She didn't see any of anything after that. Or hear it, or smell it. She had a faint sense of something burning... But burning wasn't the right word... What was it...?


	3. Part 3

How could they just watch?  
How could they stand there, smirking, like it was something good? How could they celebrate this?  
Did they even see her, cowering in the corner, feeling sick about all the lives lost?  
This wasn't the first time... But this time, she was done. She was finally broken. And she was having _no more of this._

Luma stood up, her hands shaking. She immediately felt dizzy, and leaned against the nearby wall. _Oh, I'm going to cry now..._ she thought bitterly. She wasn't supposed to cry. Irkens weren't supposed to cry at all, especially not about things like this. _What is wrong with me?_  
Luma hated herself. She was an embarrassment to the whole armada...  
She clenched her fists, her knuckles cracking. Tears began streaming down her cheeks. _How dare they._ Quietly, she stepped away, making her way to a door. It wasn't supposed to be opened, not while they were midair, but she didn't care. _Nothing matters anymore... Nothing except me getting out of here..._  
She wasn't thinking clearly. She opened the door, and chilly air rushed in. Seemed the storm had finally stopped. Well, at least _something_ had gone right today.  
The sky was still dark with clouds, and the buildings below seemed small and foggy. Luma took a deep breath, felt a flutter of nervousness, ignored it, and jumped.  
_I'm such an idiot._  
Luma's skin tingled as she went through a thin cloud, tiny drops of moisture sticking to her face, her arms, her antennae. Tears streamed down her face, mostly from the wind now. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut.  
The ground came sooner than expected, rising up to meet her face. When they connected, Luma was stunned briefly. She soon got over it.  
Luma got herself into a sitting position and stared up at the ship. The door had closed. Surely someone would've noticed her absence by now? She stared at it, but then felt compelled to look around.  
She shouldn't have. The tears welled up again, and this time, Luma made no move to stop them.  
Everything was gone. The surface of the whole planet was charred, and some areas smoked.  
So. This was the result of everything she'd been through. A dead planet, which would probably be turned into something frivolous, like another parking structure. Luma felt empty. Lost. Heartless. Miserable.  
She hated herself even more, and for a completely different reason.  
Suddenly feeling exposed, Luma stood up, shaky from her fall. There had to be somewhere to hide... Somewhere...  
_There!_  
Luma had no idea what it was, but it was pretty big, and it was metal or stone of some sort, and she could hide in there. Some Earth thing. Who knew? All that mattered was that she had found shelter.  
Luma crawled inside, and sat up, hugging her knees. She could just fit. Perfect.  
Then it dawned on her what she was doing.  
She felt ashamed. _I shouldn't be down here, hiding... _she thought,_ I should be up there... Where I'm supposed to be... such a coward..._ Luma buried her face in her hands. "I just don't know what to do anymore..."  
She felt torn in half. Who she should be, and who she wanted to be. The two sides fought, but finally, who she wanted-no, needed-to be won over.  
"I don't have to be like them," said Luma, the tears still shining on her cheeks. She narrowed her eyes, which were fogged from crying, but still pink as ever. "I can be whoever I want..."  
But she collapsed again with a sob. Why couldn't they see that all this was wrong?

Back on the ship, an Irken named Larch frowned. He had been too busy with the others to notice Luma leaving, but he had just now noticed how a door was open.

How strange.

Had it not been pretty windy, he might not have noticed. But a cold breeze hit him, and he had to look over to investigate.  
Now Larch stood by the open door, cold air buffeting him. It's not like anyone could get down from here... And why would they want to?  
Well, now to think about it, it wasn't really that high up... But still, why would someone just jump out of a perfectly good ship? Especially down into that wasteland.  
He pondered it for a few minutes more, then shrugged and slammed the door shut.  
An open door in the ship, leading nowhere but outside.  
Very strange indeed.


End file.
